[GIVEAWAY] Why Christian Classics Matter

I am honored to lead the Resources Division at LifeWay and serve with a team of leaders who are passionate to serve the Church in her mission of making disciples. Each Wednesday, I share the heart behind one of the resources our team has developed. This week’s resource is the Legacy of Faith Library set. Our B&H associate publisher, Taylor Combs, has written an encouraging piece on why we should pay closer attention to the these classic writers of our faith. B&H has released a beautiful, limited edition, eight-volume set, and you can learn more at LegacyofFaithLibrary.net.

It’s a big year for Martin Luther.

On this 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Christians and non-Christians alike are reflecting on the larger-than-life German monk whose 95 Theses helped turn the world upside down. But what is the purpose of such reflection? Is it merely an academic exercise in western history? An examination of the effects of one bold act on the Church and the world? For the Christian, reflection on our history matters not only on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, but every day.

Our day and age is unique, and we tend to think we are alone in the challenges we face. But a quick examination of Church history reveals that we are not, in fact, alone. The Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit and equipped with the Word, has responded to various crises—new manifestations of the same old sins—for two thousand years.

In order to remain faithful ourselves, we need more wisdom than can be condensed into 140 characters. We need the voices of the past to remain faithful in the present.

Our culture is changing—but not as severely as Augustine’s when he wrote The City of God. The Roman Empire was collapsing in front of the North African bishop’s eyes as he penned his famous work defending Christianity against her pagan accusers, and reminding Christians that we belong to a greater, eternal city—the City of God.

Ideological intolerance of Christianity has increased—but we have not yet resisted to the point of John Bunyan, who was imprisoned for years because of his faithful preaching of the gospel. Did Bunyan cave to the pressure of those around him? No. Imprisoned, he wrote some of the greatest works of our Christian heritage.

The Church desperately needs more faithful leaders—but no more than London did when Charles Spurgeon founded The Pastors’ College. Out of his training of hundreds of pastors came Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, one of the most applicable works for ministers of the gospel even today.

We are tempted to believe we are alone in this crazy world, that no Christian has faced what our generation faces. How do we respond? Naturally, we could try and respond by reading every tweet, every blog post, every new book, and every hot take on every controversial subject. But this response misses the mark—it leaves the Christian ignorant of the past, too exhausted to engage in the present, and too myopic to consider the needs of the future.

We don’t need hot takes; we need the legacy of faith, handed down to us by faithful saints of old. Shaped by the Scriptures and preserved by the Spirit, the voices of the past will guide us in our present efforts for faithfulness.

It is good to reflect on our past and to read the classics in 2017, and every year, for at least the following reasons:

Read the classics to learn from the faithfulness of saints before us.

Read the classics to learn from the failures of saints before us.

Read the classics to glean timeless wisdom that will apply in any and every generation.

At this moment—the historic 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation—and at every moment hereafter, the Church must hear and heed the Christian classics. We don’t read these works because of some inherent virtue in antiquity, but because God has preserved a rich tradition of wisdom, bolstered by His Word, on which we can lean.

The Legacy of Faith Library seeks to guard the good deposit handed down by the champions of the faith. Masterfully constructed to be passed down through the ages, The Legacy of Faith Library is a collection of treasures from the Christian inheritance that will help us to remain faithful for generations to come.

This contemporary collection of the classic texts preserves the authors’ words while presenting them in custom bound, leather editions with gilded edges, ribbon markers, and a careful typesetting to guide and enhance your reading experience. The eight-volume set includes a total of nineteen books and is presented in a hand crafted, wooden cradle designed to display this one-of-a-kind collector’s edition.

The set includes the most impactful works from Augustine, John Bunyan, G.K. Chesterton, Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Andrew Murray, Charles Spurgeon, and John Wesley.

The first 500 orders of The Legacy of Faith Library will receive a special gift, while supplies last.

Today we are giving away 10 limited edition Spurgeon T-shirts. These shirts will be available at the end of June. Please enter here or in the form below by 11:59pm tonight, May 24, 2017 for your chance to win.